TNIBFT -Chapter 286 The Throne Must Be Inherited

“I’m willing to be your dog!”

“Don’t kill me!”

Shi Xuan clutched his head and burst into tears, curling up in terror.

At this moment, everything he saw was just an illusion in his mind—chaos everywhere, warhorses trampling wildly. Surrounded by mountains of corpses, he struggled desperately just to survive.

The surrounding townspeople looked at him with disdain.

Someone said, “Shi Xuan is greedy for life and afraid of death. He was even slandering the City Lord at the gate just now!”

“This kind of person deserves to be executed!”

“He even wants to be a dog for the Great Zhou. What a disgrace to the Shi family!”

Shi Hao sighed helplessly.

Shi Xuan had always been like this—heartless and ungrateful. He treated even his own father this way, so how could anyone expect him to stand up like a man and protect Sifang City?

After all, they were bound by blood.

Moreover, their father, Shi Shanxiang, had doted on Shi Xuan since childhood and held special affection for him. Even when Shi Xuan was reduced to begging on the streets, their father would claim not to care, yet sigh day and night, unable to eat or drink properly—until he finally brought Shi Xuan back home. Only then did he begin to recover.

But a brother like this would sooner or later bring disaster upon the Shi family.

Not to mention, Ye Tian had helped the Shi family countless times. Shi Xuan knew all this, yet instead of being grateful, he harbored resentment simply because Ye Tian hadn’t secured him an official position. Having such a person as an elder brother was a humiliation.

Shi Hao stepped forward, his eyes filled with disgust. “Shi Xuan, take a good look—”

“Don’t come closer!”

“Don’t kill me!” Shi Xuan screamed in panic, shoving Shi Hao away. Like a madman, he bolted down the steps, stumbling in blind terror.

In less than a moment, he fell, his head split open, lying motionless on the steps.

Xiao Jiang’s lips curled slightly upward. When he noticed his elder brother looking at him, he immediately switched to a sympathetic expression and called out to the crowd:

“Is there a physician here?”

“Is there a physician among you? This man is seriously ill—does no one want to save him?”

Yet his tone clearly carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Seeing that no one stepped forward to help Shi Xuan, Xiao Jiang felt relieved. Blinking his big eyes, he looked into the distance and said, “Now when the Great Zhou army arrives, they’ll be blown to pieces. Let them witness just how powerful Ye Tian is!”

The little fellow’s face was full of pride, his smile carefree and delighted.

At this moment, Old Yang remained silent.

Under normal circumstances, he would definitely make a few remarks and voice his opinion. But now, all he felt in his heart was shock—and fear.

A master who seemed utterly powerless was, in truth, the most terrifying of all.

…

Meanwhile, on the slope across from the city wall—

After the initial shock, the crowd’s expressions turned into excitement and joy.

Xie Jinnan exclaimed, “It worked!”

“It worked!”

“City Lord, who would’ve thought that something used for refining pills could have such terrifying power? I can’t wait for Lin Xianzhong’s forces to arrive!”

“When that time comes, I’ll stand atop the city wall and beat the war drums for Sifang City’s soldiers!”

“Exactly!”

“City Lord, with these cannons, let alone Lin Xianzhong—even if the Great Zhou Empress herself comes, what of it?”

As soon as those words were spoken—

Qin Fengyi awkwardly looked away.

Beside her, Xie Jinnan said, “Hey, don’t speak too absolutely. The Great Zhou Empress is skilled in strategy and troop deployment, and her strength is extraordinary. We mustn’t become overconfident!”

Despite his words, the elderly man stroked his graying beard, unable to hide the joy on his face. Chin raised proudly, his phoenix eyes half-closed, he cast a glance behind him.

“Yes, yes!”

The man immediately lowered his head in apology, and laughter filled the hillside.

Behind them, the many craftsmen and technicians wore expressions of relief. After so much time spent researching, they had finally achieved results.

Cheers erupted among the crowd.

Only Zhu Zhongyi stood silently to the side, frowning as he watched Ye Tian. He didn’t seem like such a useless good-for-nothing after all—how did he know so many unconventional tricks?

Moreover, everyone seemed willing to risk their lives for Ye Tian!

For the first time, Zhu Zhongyi carefully sized him up.

At this moment, Ye Tian stood together with Qin Fengyi. Raising an eyebrow, he smiled and asked, “Well?”

With a faint smile at the corner of her lips, Qin Fengyi turned her head slightly toward him. “Not bad.”

Ye Tian chuckled.

The two looked at each other and smiled, as if an unspoken understanding flowed between them. Zhu Zhongyi turned his head away, unwilling to watch any longer.

A gentleman should help others achieve their happiness!

Besides, he wasn’t worthy of Lord Meng anyway.

“The targeting isn’t very precise, and the range is hard to control. The first shot was around 400 meters, the second less than 300. These need precise calculations and further research,” Ye Tian said.

Qin Fengyi glanced at the strange iron tube. “If it can instill fear in the enemy and crush their morale, you’ve already won the first step!”

“Ye Tian, you’ve truly impressed me.”

“With the power of these cannons, how can flesh and blood possibly withstand them? Give you a few years—even the Great Zhou army, or the Empress herself leading her imperial guards, wouldn’t be your match!”

“Truly astonishing!”

She added one more remark, unable to imagine what else Ye Tian had hidden in his mind.

Being recognized—especially by the mother of his child—filled Ye Tian with joy. A bold, heroic spirit surged within him. He reached out and draped an arm over Qin Fengyi’s shoulder, turning his head as he said, “Why not join me? Let’s rebel together. Maybe in a few years, our family will actually have a throne to inherit!”

Qin Fengyi laughed softly.

A throne to inherit?

There really was one.

Only, as the Son of Heaven, she wasn’t nearly as free as Ye Tian, a mere city lord.

Her gaze dimmed slightly. Ye Tian rolled his eyes and grinned. “When the time comes, how about I make you Empress?”

“No, no. I just want to be a lazy bum. How about we let the eldest make you Empress Dowager instead?”

“You can eat whatever you want—have it delivered at top speed! Whoever dares to talk back, we’ll just off them. Don’t you like horses? When we conquer the grasslands, there are Ferghana horses there—we’ll have the eldest catch a few for you!”

“White ones!”

“Black ones!”

“Or brown?”

Ye Tian was exceptionally skilled at painting grand promises.

Qin Fengyi stared at him blankly, almost getting swept up in it, before black lines filled her forehead. “If you want to be a lazy bum, why would you rebel?”

“Do you know what a ‘fated villain’ is?” Ye Tian asked.

Qin Fengyi froze. She had never heard such terms before. Ye Tian shrugged with a smile. “I mean, what if—just what if—I’m destined to be the villain, born to be killed by the protagonist? Do you think I can afford not to work hard?”

That was a lot to take in.

Qin Fengyi couldn’t process it immediately. Seeing her dazed expression, Ye Tian lowered his head and smiled.

Even if his whole family were destined villains, fated to become stepping stones for the protagonist, he, Ye Tian, would still turn the tide and protect his children and Qin Fengyi.

“City Lord, should we move these cannons onto the city walls?”

“City Lord, in my opinion, we should make preparations first. When Lin Xianzhong arrives in Sifang City, we can…”

Ye Tian nodded.

Everyone busied themselves packing things up. With his matters settled, Ye Tian prepared to leave.

“Ye Tian… no, Young Master, I—I’ll take responsibility for guarding the cannons,” Zhu Zhongyi hurried forward and volunteered.

He cupped his fists, head lowered, his expression unreadable.

Ye Tian raised a hand and gently patted Zhu Zhongyi’s shoulder. “Your father would be proud of you. Live up to the name ‘Zhongyi’—loyalty and righteousness.”

Zhu Zhongyi trembled slightly, unable to speak for a long while.